Gov.     TlleXanaeP       mart* 


"X^Q^  e^\as, 


LIBRHRY 

OF  TJIE 

UHlversity   of  North   C^arolioa. 

EndcWfd  l)y  the  DialeL'tic  and  I'hihai- 
t!iri>pie  SoL-ieties. 


eo\^-  T-t^'Ana 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 


OF 


Governor  Alexander  Martin, 


BY 


ROBERT  M.  DOUGLAS,  A.  M.,  LL.  D., 
Greensboro,  N.  C. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  witii  fundjng  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/lifecharacterofg10doug 


jPl  ZD  ID  P2.  E  S  S 

OF 

ROBERT  M.  DOUGLAS,  A.  M.,  LL  D., 

UPON  THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF 

GOVERNOR  ALEXANDER  MARTIN, 

Delivered  at  the  Anmial  Celebration  of  tJie  Battle 
of  Guilford  Court  House,  July  ^,  i8gS. 


Mr.  President: 

We  meet  here  to-day  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  a 
nation's  birth  on  a  spot  consecrated  by  the  life  blood  of 
her  faithful  sons  freely  giv^en  in  her  defense  in  the  weak- 
est hour  of  her  infancy. 

It  is  hard  to  realize  that  only  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  years  have  passed  since  that  starry  flag  was  first 
given  to  the  free  air  of  its  native  heaven.  To-day  it 
floats  on  every  sea,  representing  a  nation  whose  material 
power  dominates  the  western  hemisphere,  and  casts  its 
broadening  shadow  across  the  world.  Infinitely  greater 
is  the  influence  of  the  moral  principles  which  it  represents 
as  the  emblem  of  the  most  perfect  union  of  liberty  and  of 
law  that  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

A  careful  study  of  the  birth,  growth  and  decline  of  the 
great  nations  and  peoples  within  historic  times,  which 
seem  to  have  been  regulated  by  some  fixed  laws  whose 
nature  we  cannot  comprehend,  but  whose  existence  we 
are  forced  to  admit,  plainly  indicates  that  we  are  yet  far 
from  the  meridian  of  our  national  life.  What  our  future 
may  be,  no  human  judgment  can  foretell;  but  I  have  a 
firm  conviction  that  the  future  destinies  of  the  world  are 
in  the  hands  of  the  English  speaking  people.  One  in 
blood  and  in  language,  governed  substantially  by  the 
same  laws  and  moved  by  the  same  high  aspirations,  sep- 


arated  alone  b\'  the  natural  landmarks  that  define  the 
linnits  of  their  respective  influence,  they  will  go  on  to- 
gether in  perfect  harmon}',  in  the  accomplishment  of 
their  great  mission,  with  a  single  purpose  and  perhaps  to 
a  common  destiny. 

Alread}' the  magnificent  empire  of  Spain  has  gone  to 
deca\'.  and  her  imperial  power  lies  with  her  sunken  fleet 
in  Manila  Bay,  both  mere  memories  of  the  past.  She  is 
still  keeping  up  a  hopeless  coritest  for  dynastic  reasons, 
but  Sampson's  guns  are  rolling  the  death- knell  of  her 
dominion  on  the  great  continent  she  once  claimed  by 
right  of  discovery  and  of  conquest. 

Whatever  may  be  the  results  of  this  war  as  to  territo- 
rial expansion,  it  was  entered  into  with  evident  reluc- 
tance by  the  American  people,  and  only  from  the  high- 
est sense  of  national  duty  and  self  defense.  Once  in,  we 
know  but  one  way  out 

Terrible  as  war  must  always  be,  it  has  its  compensa- 
tions in  the  patriotism  it  engenders  and  the  heroism  it 
develops.  In  spite  of  our  sorrow,  we  cannot  but  feel  a 
mournful  pride  that  North  Carolina,  ever  last  in  the  quar- 
rel and  first  in  the  fight,  offered  up  the  first  sacrifice  upon 
the  altar  of  our  re-united  land. 

Our  own  Worth  Bagley,  brave  as  the  bravest,  and  ten- 
der, loving  and  true  as  becomes  the  brave,  standing  at 
the  post  of  duty  and  smiling  gentl}^  in  the  face  of  danger, 
calmly  met  the  embrace  of  death. 

Nations,  like  individuals,  have  their  infancy  as  well  as 
their  manhood;  and  the  patriot  who  guards  the  cradle  of 
a  new  born  state,  deserves  fully  as  much  as  the  hero  who 
follows  its  conquering  banner  in  the  full  tide  of  its  impe- 
rial power.  Rome,  stern,  heroic  Rome  ,not  only  deified 
her  founder;  but  held  in  the  highest  veneration  and  per- 
petuated in  the  most  enduring  form,  the  memory  of  the 
she-wolf  which  suckled  him  in  his  helpless  infancy  on  the 
Palatine  Hill. 

The  glorious  victory  of  Manila,  unparalleled  in  its  com- 


pleteness,  was  not  as  important  in  itself  or  in  its  effect 
upon  the  destinies  of  mankind,  as  the  battle  of  Guilford 
Court  House.  Had  there  been  no  Guilford  Court  House, 
there  would  have  been  no  Yorktown;  and  had  there  been 
no  Yorktown,  there  would  have  been  no  Manila.  The 
roar  of  Dewey's  8  inch  guns  was,  in  historic  result,  but 
the  echo  of  the  squirrel  rifles  fired  across  yonder  field  by 
the  Guilford  militia. 

Since  the  devoted  labors  of  Judge  Schenck,  the  founder 
of  our  Association  and  the  restorer  of  the  battlefield,  but 
little  is  left  to  be  said  about  the  battle  itself;  and  so  it  has 
become  usual  for  the  annual  orator  to  select  some  revo- 
lutionary personage  as  the  subject  of  his  address.  Cus- 
tom, as  well  as  a  certain  degree  of  necessity,  has  gener- 
ally imposed  this  duty  upon  some  kinsman  of  the  patriot 
dead. 

As  the  old  Romans  thought  the  duty  of  eulogy  rested 
upon  the  nearest  surviving  relative,  under  the  idea  that 
he  was  best  qualified  to  speak  of  the  virtues  of  the  de- 
ceased; so  it  is  thought  that  those  who  proudly  claim 
their  kindred  blood  will  make  the  greater  effort  to  collect 
from  the  scattered  and  exceedingl}-  imperfect  records  of 
that  period,  the  necessary  facts  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  our  illustrious  dead.  Thus  I  am  here  to-day  to  give  a 
brief  outline  of  the  life  and  character  of  Governor  Alex- 
ander Martin. 

I  trust  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to  remember  that 
this  is  the  fourth  of  July,  and  that  a  long  historical  dis- 
sertation would  wear  out  my  welcome.  Moreover,  a  full 
record  of  the  life  of  one  who  was  for  so  many  years  the 
directing  power  of  the  State,  would  be,  for  that  period, 
almost  the  history  of  the  state  itself.  Therefore  the 
merest  outline  must  suffice. 

The  founder  of  the  family  in  America  was  Hugh  Mar- 
tin, a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  emigrated  from  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1721,  and  settled  in  Hunterdon  coun- 
ty, New  Jersey,  where  his   five   sons   were  born.      They 


were  Alexander,  James,  Thomas,  Samuel  and  Robert, 
the  Governor  being  the  eldest  and  Robert,  my  great- 
grandfather, being  the  youngest.  The  five  brothers 
came  Soutli  shortly  before  the  Revolution,  and  settled  in 
Virginia;  but  all  except  Thomas  soon  afterwards  removed 
to  North  Carolina. 

Alexander  was  born  in  1740.  and  graduated  at  Prince- 
ton University,  then  Nassau  Hall,  in  1756,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen.  His  scholarship  must  have  been  remarkably 
fine,  as  shown  not  only  by  the  fact  of  his  graduation  at 
so  early  an  age,  but  from  the  further  fact  that  his  staid 
old  Alma  Mater  conferred  upon  him,  in  the  midst  of  a 
busy  life,  the  highest  honor  she  could  bestow,  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws.  (LL.  D.) 

In  1772  he  settled  at  Guilford  Court  House,  which  was 
then  situated  less  than  a  mile  east  from  here,  near  the 
edge  of  the  battlefield,  and  was  subsequently  named 
Martinsville  in  his  honor.  When  the  battle  was  fought 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Council  Extraordinary.  He 
must  have  become  a  citizen  of  the  state  before  1771,  as 
Foote  and  Moore  both  state  that  he  and  Rev.  Dr.  David 
Caldwell  were  present  at  the  battle  of  the  Alamance,  and 
made  fruitless  appeals  to  both  sides  for  peace.  That  a 
young  stranger  should  have  been  selected  to  accompany 
that  eminent  divine  upon  so  difficult,  dangerous  and 
thankless  an  undertaking,  vvas  the  higiiest  tribute  to  his 
personal  character,  judgment  and  patriotism. 

In  1771  he  was  apparently  a  resident  of  Rowan  Coun- 
ty, as  his  name  appears  among  the  officers  of  that  coun- 
ty, signed  to  an  agreement  dated  March  7,  1771,  with  the 
Committee  of  the  Regulators  to  subm.it  all  matters  of  griev- 
ance to  arbitration.  What  office  he  held  does  not  appear 
from  the  paper;  but  Rumple,  in  his  History  of  Rowan 
County,  says  that  he  lived  in  Salisbury  until  Guilford 
County  was  erected,  and  that  he  was  frequently  commis- 
sioned by  the  Crown  to  hold  the  District  Court  at  Salis- 


bury,  having'  presided  over  that  court  as  late  as  the  first 
day  of  June,  1775. 

On  March  18,  1771.  he  and  Colonel  John  Frohock 
wrote  to  Governor  Tryon  giving  an  account  of  their 
agreement  with  the  Regulators,  and  urging  a  policy  of 
justice  and  conciliation.  The  answer  of  Tryon  was  ex- 
tremely sarcastic,  written  in  the  pride  and  insolence  of 
power  to  one  whom  he  never  dreamed  would,  by  the 
choice  of  a  free  people,  be  his  successor  in  the  glorious 
years  to  come. 

In  his  letter  of  April  12,  1771,  to  the  Earl  of  Hillsboro, 
Governor  Tryon  speaks  of  Alexander  Martin  as  "  Colo- 
)iel  Martin."  So  at  that  early  age  Martin  was  evidently 
a  man  of  position  and  influence. 

In  1774  and  1775  he  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  As- 
sembly from  Guilford  County.  He  was  appointed  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment  from  this  State 
in  the  Continental  line  on  September  ist,  1775,  and  was 
promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  same  regiment  on  April 
10,  1776,  which  he  held  until  November  22,  1777  when 
he  resigned. 

Wheeler  says  that:  "He,  with  his  regiment,  was  in 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  nth  September,  1775,  where 
Lafayette  was  wounded;  and  was  near  him  when  he  re- 
ceived the  wound.  In  the  attack  of  Washington  on  the 
British  at  Germantown,  October  4th,  1777,  he  was  pres- 
ent when  his   General,    Francis   Nash,    was  killed."      In 

1779  he  was  elected  state  senator  from  Guilford  County, 
and  again  in  1780,  1781,  1782,  1785,  1787,  and   1788.      In 

1780  he  was  elected  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  and  again  in 

1781  and  1782,  as  we  then  had  no  Lieutenant-Governor, 
an  office  which  was  not  created  until  the  Constitution  of 
1868. 

After  the  terrible  disasters  occurring  in  the  South  dur- 
ing the  year  1780,  the  Legislature  meeting  in  September, 
created  a  Board  of  War  "to  direct  and  control  the  mili- 
tary of  the  state,"  and  elected  as  its   members   Governor 


6 

Martin,  John  Penn  and  Oroondates  Davis.  Of  this  re- 
markable body,  whose  powers  seem  to  have  been  as  am- 
ple as  tliey  were  undefined,  Governor  Martin  was  the 
Chairman  and  admittedly  its  dominating  spirit. 

Gov.  Graham,  in  his  admirable  historical  lecture  deliv- 
ered at  New  York  in  1S5S,  in  speaking-  of  this  l^oard  and 
its  members,  says  that  its  creation  "  was  utterly  at  vari- 
ance with  the  plain  precepts  of  the  Constitution";  but 
that  its  members  "  undertook  the  task  devolved  upon  them 
in  the  most  devoted  spirit  of  patriotism,  and  with  a  proper 
sense  of  its  magnitude,  and  executed  its  duties  with  fear- 
lessness, ability  and  eminent  public  benefit."  Stronger 
commendation  could  not  come  from  a  higher  source. 

In  the  following  year  the  Board  of  War  was  discontin- 
ued, and  a  "Council  Extraordinary"  created,  who,  with 
the  Governor  (Nash),  were  invested  with  the  powers  of 
government  during  the  recess  of  the  Legislature,  and  in- 
definitely if  the  invasion  of  the  enemy  should  prevent  the 
holding  of  elections  and  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  at 
the  usual  time.  This  Council  was  composed  of  Gover- 
nor Martin,  Governor  Caswell  and  Mr.  Bignall. 

It  is  a  sad  commentar}-  upon  the  condition  of  our  early 
records,  that  I  have  been  utterly  unable  to  escertain  how 
long  this  truly  e.xtraordinary  body  remained  in  existence, 
or  what  it  did,  if  an}thing.  Wheeler  makes  no  allusion 
to  it  whatever  in  his  history,  while  Moore  merely  men- 
tions its  creation,  and  does  not  even  include  it  in  his  in- 
dex. 

Our  State  Records  are  now  being  compiled  -ind  pub- 
lished, but  the  latest  volume  has  not  yet  reached  this 
period  of  our  history. 

I  suspect  the  Council  did  nothing,  but  for  what  reason 
it  is  difficult  to  say.  Governor  Caswell,  great  and  patri- 
otic as  he  was,  was  a  man  of  fixed  views  and  strong  preju- 
dices, and  for  some  reason  was  personally  antagonistic 
to  Governor  Martin.  It  may  be  that  Caswell,  having  as 
Major  General  been  in   command   of  the  entire    body  of 


State  militia,  expected  the  Council  merel}'  to  register  his 
will.  If  so,  he  found  in  Martin  a  man  who  not  only  was 
his  equal  in  other  respects,  but  possessed  the  advantage 
of  a  calmer  judgment  and  a  steadier  temper. 

It  is  truly  unfortunate  if  the  divergent  views  of  these 
two  great  men  prevented  them  from  giving  to  the  state 
they  loved  so  well,  the  full  measure  of  service  of  their 
great  intellects  and  loyal  hearts. 

Upon  the  capture  of  Governor  Burke,  by  Fannin  in 
September,  1881,  Governor  Martin,  by  virtue  of  his  office 
as  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  succeeded  to  the  Governorship, 
and  became  in  name  as  well  as  in  fact  the  head  of  the 
state  government.  Governor  Burke  returned  the  follow- 
ing year,  and  resumed  his  office  for  the  remainder  of  his 
term;  but  was  soon  again  succeeded  by  Gov.  Martin, 
who  was  elected  in  the  Fall  of  1782  and  again  in  1783. 

The  Constitution  of  1776  provided  that:  "The  Sen- 
ate and  House  of  Commons  jointly,  at  their  first  meeting 
after  each  annual  election,  shall,  by  ballot,  elect  a  Gov- 
ernor for  one  year,  who  sJiall  not  be  eligible  to  that  office 
longer  than  three  years  in  six  successive  years.  This 
provision  compelled  the  retirement  of  Governor  Martin 
at  the  end  of  the  year  1784.  He  was  immediately  re- 
elected as  Senator  from  Guilford  County,  and  was  again 
made  Speaker  of  that  body,  succeeding  Governor  Cas- 
well, v/ho  had  succeeded  him  as  Governor. 

In  1786  he  was  elected  by  joint  ballot  of  the  two 
houses  of  the  General  Assembly  one  of  the  five  delegates 
to  the  Federal  Convention  called  to  meet  in  Philadelphia 
to  frame  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  This 
convention  convened  on  Friday,  May  25th,  1787,  and 
among  those  present  Governor  Martin's  name  appears 
first  among  the  delegates  from  North  Carolina,  on  page 
139  of  volume  i  of  Elliott's  Debates.  As  usual  with  all 
his  duties,  he  took  an  active  and  intelligent  part  in  its 
proceedings;  but  for  some  reason  both  he  and  William 
R.  Davie  were  absent  when  the  Constitution  was  signed, 


and  hence  their  names  do  not  appear  to  that  immortal 
instrument  in  the  formation  of  which  they  took  so  deep 
an  interest,  and  the  ultimate  adoption  of  which  by  their 
own  state  was  so  larf^ely  due  to  their  efforts.  In  the 
same  year  Governor  Martin  was  again  elected  to  the 
State  Senate,  and  again  became  its  presiding  officer.  At 
that  time  this  position  was  much  more  important  than  at 
present,  and  was  universally  regarded  as  second  only  to 
the  Governor  in  dignit}'  and  intluence. 

This  Legislature  called  a  Constitutional  Convention  to 
meet  at  Hillsborough  in  July  1788,  to  consider  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Federal  Constitution.  Governor  Martin  was 
a  candidate  for  the  Conv^ention,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
old  friend  Doctor  David  Caldwell,  who  was  an  intense 
Republican,  as  the  followers  of  Jefferson  then  called 
themselves,  and  bitterly  opposed  to  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution. 

The  deleat  of  Martin  was  practically  the  defeat  of  the 
Constitution  for  the  time  being;  as  the  Convention  by  a 
vote  of  184  to  84,  more  than  a  two-thirds  majority,  deter- 
mined neither  to  adopt  nor  reject  the  Constitution,  but 
simply  to  recommend  a  bill  of  rights  and  tiveniy-six 
amendments;  and  it  then  adjourned  sine  die  to  await  the 
action  of  the  other  states. 

Gov.  Martin  was  immediately  returned  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  again  elected  Speaker.  No  stronger  proof 
of  the  stern  independence  of  the  stalwart  yeomanry  of 
Guilford  County  could  have  been  given  than  their  oppos- 
ition to  the  Federal  Constitution  in  spite  of  the  earnest 
appeals  of  their  great  countyman,  whom  they  always 
loved,  honored  and  trusted.  That  trust  was  never  be- 
trayed, and  that  love  and  confidence  were  never  lost. 

The  Constitution  having  been  adopted  by  a  majority  of 
the  states,  the  government  of  the  United  States  went  into 
operation  in  the  Spring  of  1789.  The  fourth  day  of  March 
was  set  for  the  meeting  of  Congress;  but  a  quorum  of  the 
Senate  was   not    obtained   until   April  6th,  and   General 


Washington  was  not  inaugurated  as  President  until  the 
30th  day  of  April. 

Prompt  action  on  the  part  of  North  Carolina  becanne 
imperative,  and  a  new  Constitutional  Convention  was 
called.  Both  the  Convention  and  the  General  Assembly- 
met  at  Fayetteville  on  November  2nd,  1789. 

The  Federal  Constitution  was  adopted,  and  Governor 
Johnston  and  Benjamin  Hawkins  were  elected  Senators. 
This  necessitated  the  immediate  election  of  Governor,  an 
office  then  regarded  as  of  greater  dignity  and  importance 
than  that  of  Senator,  as  he  was  the  head  of  the  sovereign 
state  of  which  the  Senator  was  only  one  of  the  represen- 
tatives. In  fact  Mr.  Jefferson  regarded  the  Governors 
of  the  respective  states  as  the  only  officials  whose  visits 
the  President  could  be  expected  to  return. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  realize  the  extreme  reluctance 
and  grave  misgivings  with  which  this  state  entered  the 
Federal  Union.  A  republic  formed  by  the  voluntary 
aggregation  of  sovereign  states,  widely  separated  and  of 
diverse  internal  interests,  was  an  untried  experiment  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  All  the  republics  and  democ- 
racies of  former  times  had  virtually  been  confined  in  their 
governing  power  to  their  dominating  cities.  The  Roman 
republic  was  simply  the  republic  of  Rome.  The  city 
was  the  creator  of  the  republic,  and  was  properly  called 
"the  mistress  of  the  world".  Here  the  National  govern- 
ment was  the  creature  of  pre-existing  states,  and  to  call 
Washington  City  the  mistress  of  this  country  would  be  a 
pure  absurdity. 

North  Carolina  had  many  illustrious  men  from  whom 
to  choose  her  Chief  Executive;  but  she  felt  the  need  of 
her  strongest  son,  one  not  only  of  proved  loyalty  and 
ability,  but  one  whose  calm  judgment  and  steady  hand 
could  be  trusted  to  guide  the  infant  ship  of  state  through 
the  stormy  billows  that  hid  the  horizon.  In  this  hour  of 
supremest  trial  the  heart  and  mind  of  the  people  turned 
to  Alexander  Martin. 


10 

He  was  immediately  elected  Governor,  and  the  Old 
North  State  began  her  magnificent  career  as  one  of  the 
United  States  of  America  under  his  directing  hand.  He 
was  again  elected  Governor  in  1790  and  again  in  1791, 
thus  for  the  second  time  serving  out  the  full  number  of 
terms  allowed  by  the  Constitution. 

Ji/'.i' times  Governor  of  this  state,  once  by  succession 
andyfz'f  times  by  direct  election.  Governor  Martin  has 
left  a  record  that  has  never  been  equalled  and  seldom 
approached.  Governor  Caswell  was  elected  four  times 
and  Governor  Vance  three  times. 

Of  Martin's  wonderful  career  as  Governor,  Colonel 
Wheeler,  whose  extreme  Jeffersonian  leaning  made  him 
by  no  means  partial  to  our  great  Federalist,  simply  says, 
on  page  182  of  his  history:  "He  (Alexander  Martin) 
conducted  the  affairs  of  the  State  in  a  troubled  and  peril- 
ous period  with  great  dignity,  unswerving  fidelity  and 
scrupulous  integrity."  Justice  could  say  no  less,  and 
eulogy  need  say  no  more. 

In  1793  Governor  Martin  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  and  served  his  term  with  his  habitual 
ability,  fidelity  and  distinction.  While  not  agreeing  with 
the  extreme  views  of  Hamilton,  he  was  a  staunch  Feder- 
alist, and  a  devoted  follower  of  Washington,  whose  per- 
sonal friendship  he  so  long  enjoyed. 

In  the  childhood  of  a  nation  its  people  are  more  impul- 
sive and  less  conservative  than  in  its  more  mature  devel- 
opment. It  may  be  the  want  of  national  experience,  and 
perhaps  to  a  greater  extent,  the  disruptive  influence  in- 
separable from  successful  revolution.  It  is  a  realization 
of  this  fact  that  has  lead  the  students  of  history  to  a  more 
thorough  appreciation  of  the  sublime  character  of  Wash- 
ington, who  was  far  greater  in  his  restraining  influence 
over  the  dangerous  elements  of  the  country  than  in  his 
more  brilliant  achievements.  As  a  successful  general, 
and  even  as  the  founder  of  a  mighty  nation,  he  may  be 
surpassed  by  others;  but  in  his  formative  influence  upon 


11 

the  character  of  a  great  and  noble  people,  he  has  no 
superior  in  history,  and  but  one  rival  in  Alfred  the 
Great. 

The  principles  of  the  French  Revolution,  for  the  time 
beinsr,  exercised  a  wonderful  influence  over  the  American 
people,  in  some  sections  endangering  the  existence  ot 
organized  government,  and  even  threatening  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Christian  faith.  No  Irishman,  whether  Cath- 
olic or  Protestant,  has  any  toleration  for  infidelity;  and 
while  he  may  not  live  up  to  the  doctrines  of  his  Church, 
he  is  always  ready  to  fight  for  them.  Governor  Martin 
from  his  seat  in  the  Senate,  saw  the  threatening  dangers- 
and  regardless  of  personal  consequences,  sternly  faced 
the  gathering  storm.  He  may  have  underestimated  the 
ultimate  conservatism  of  the  people,  and  doubted  too 
much  Jefferson's  ability  to  control  the  dangerous  elements 
he  had  aroused,  but  he  did  the  right  as  he  was  given  to 
see  the  right. 

With  his  lofty  patriotism,  deep  convictions  and  strong 
character,  he  could  not  do  otherwise.  He  w^as  Alexan- 
der Martin;  and  while  the  willow  may  bend,  the  oak 
must  stand  or  fall.  He  strongly  supported  Adams'  ad- 
ministration, voted  for  the  Alien  and  Sedition  acts,  and 
at  the  end  of  his  term  retired  to  private  life  with  the 
great  party  to  which  he  belonged. 

Moore's  history  on  page  428  of  volume  i,  says  that 
Jesse  Franklin  succeeded  Bloodworth  as  Senator  in  1798. 
This  is  a  mistake.  Franklin  succeeded  Martin,  and  took 
his  seat  on  December  30th,  1800,  as  shown  on  page  21  of 
the  Annals  of  Congress  for  the  first  session  of  the  Sixth 
Congress. 

About  1789  Governor  Martin  moved  his  residence  to 
the  new  county  of  Rockingham,  which  was  cut  off  from 
Guilford  in  1785,  and  thereafter  resided  on  a  plantation, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Danbury,  situated  on  the 
south  bank  of  Dan  River,  at  the  mouth  of  Jacobs'  Creek. 
Here  he  lived  until  his  death  in    1807,   possessing   ample 


12 

means  and  exercising  the  most  generous  hospitality. 
Among  his  gue-ts  was  General  Washington,  who  spent 
several  (]a\"s  with  him  on  his  return  from  his  Southern 
trip  in  1790,  arriving  there  about  the  first  week  in  June 
of  1791. 

They  had  long  been  friends.  Besides  having  been 
United  States  Senator  during  Washington's  entire  second 
term,  during  which  he  strongly  supported  his  adminis- 
tration, he  had  served  under  him  during  the  War.  Upon 
his  leaving  the  army  General  Washington  presented  to 
him  a  pa.ir  of  silver  cups.  One  ot  the  cups  now  belongs 
to  Colonel  James  Martin,  of  Winston,  N.  C,  who  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  the  gallant  Colonel  James  Martin 
who  commanded  the  Guilford  militia  under  Greene,  and 
who  was  Governor  Martin's  brother.  This  cup  is  now 
on  the  desk  before  me. 

Governor  Martin  was  always  a  warm  friend  of  our 
State  Universit}'.  .\s  Governor  he  earnestly  recom- 
mended its  support  by  the  State.  In  1790  he  became 
one  of  its  trustees,  and  remained  so  until  his  death.  He 
was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  1792-3,  but 
gave  up  this  position  upon  his  election  to  the  U.  S.  Sen- 
ate. Another  proof  of  his  wonderful  popularity  is  shown 
in  the  action  of  the  Legislature,  which  promptly  struck 
from  the  map  of  North  Carolina  the  names  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Tryon,  Bute  and  Dobbs,  and  yet  retained  the  name 
of  Martin  County,  although  it  had  been  named  in  honor 
of  Josiah  Martin,  the  Royal  Governor.  No  one  would 
raise  his  hand  against  a  name  that  stood  so  high  on  the 
patriot  roll. 

Governor  Martin  represented  Rockingham  County  in 
the  Senate  in  1804  and  1805.  It  may  seem  strange  to 
some  that  one  who  had  so  repeatedly  held  such  high 
positions  should,  in  his  old  age,  be  willing  to  go  again 
to  the  Legislature;  but  his  fellow  citizens  knew  well  the 
incalculable  benefit  of  being  represented  by  one  of  his 
great  ability,    exalted    character  and   long   experience; 


13 

while  with  him  the  post  of  duty  was  the  post  of  honor. 
That  he  was  again  elected  president  of  the  Senate  showed 
that  he  retained  to  the  last  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
his  fellow  men. 

Like  others  of  our  greatest  men,  the  character  of  Gov- 
ernor Martin  exhibited  some  apparent  inconsistencies. 
The  brave  old  patriot,  whose  life  was  full  of  heroic  and 
successful  effort,  and  whose  distinguishing  characteristic 
was  strength, — stern,  dominating,  matchless  strength, — 
in  his  hours  of  relaxation  relapsed  into  the  quiet  poet- 
dreamer,  wandering  along  the  leafy  banks  of  the  Dan, 
and  writing  verses. 

This  brings  us  to  another  phase  of  human  character 
which  recalls  a  remark  made  by  my  father  when  I  was  a 
boy.  It  then  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind,  which 
has  been  strengthened  by  the  observation  and  reflection 
of  maturer  years.  He  was  discussing  the  character  of 
General  Winfield  Scott  in  connection  with  his  celebrated 
"  Hastyplateofsoup"  dispatch,  and  remarked  that  his  ex- 
perience had  shown  that  even  the  greatest  men  generally 
prided  themselves  upon  the  particular  qualities  which 
they  did  not  happen  to  possess.  Governor  Martin,  by 
the  practical  consensus  of  contemporaneous  judgment, 
eminent  as  soldier,  patriot,  statesman  and  scholar,  thought 
that  he  was  a  poet.  I  regret  to  say  that  the  deliberate 
judgment  of  posterity  is  that  in  this  view  he  was  mis- 
taken. His  ode  on  the  death  of  General  Francis  Nash 
and  lines  on  the  death  of  Gov.  Caswell  have  been  pub- 
lished in  the  University  Magazine,  and  have  been  highly 
praised  for  their  patiotism.  His  admiring  kinsmen  con- 
sole themselves  with  the  idea  that  his  best  poems  must 
have  been  lost. 

Upon  his  death  in  1807,  his  body  was  placed  in  a  vault 
constructed  in  a  beautiful  wooded  bluff  overlooking  the 
river.  Here  his  remains  rested  in  peace  for  thirty  or 
forty  years,  until  a  great  freshet  in  the  river  caused  the 
water  to  rise  above  the  level  of  the  vault,  into  which  it 


14 

flowed.  He  was  devoted  to  ti>e  river;  and  it  seemed 
strangely  pathetic  that  its  wat-s  should,  after  so  many 
years,  come  as  if  to  take  once  ninre  in  their  fond  cmhrace 
all  that  remained  of  him  it  lo\ -d  so  well,  "grieving-,  if 
aught  inanimate  e'er  grieves  o\'  -r  the  unreturning  brave." 
As  the  vault  was  injured,  his  remains  were  nioved  and 
buried  elsewhere,  but  at  what  spot  no  one  seems  to  know, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  even  a  clue  from  the  con- 
flicting statements.  It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  he 
and  General  Greene  should  both  sleep  in  unknown  graves. 

A  contemporary,  writing  of  Governor  Martin,  says 
that:  "He  was  about  five  feet  nine  or  ten  inches  in 
height,  well  formed  and  fine  featured."  I  have  a  large 
photograph  of  him  taken  from  an  original  portrait  also 
in  the  possession  of  Colonel  Martin.  The  head  is  large 
and  well  shaped,  and  has  the  poise  of  conscious  strength. 
The  face  is  strong  and  attractive.  The  nose  is  long  and 
straight,  with  full  thin  nostrils.  The  iorehead  is  not 
unusually  high,  but  is  broad  and  well  developed.  The 
jaw  is  square  and  massive,  indicating,  with  the  firm 
straight  lips,  e.Ktraordinary  force  of  character,  with  an 
inflexible  will  and  great  concentration  of  purpose.  The 
lips  seem  to  be  slightly  compressed,  which  is  sometimes 
the  result  of  the  habitual  effort  of  self-control.  The 
eyes,  which  are  large  and  wide  apart,  are  looking  straight 
at  you  and  apparently  through  you,  from  lids  that  are 
slightly  closed.  It  is  not  the  laughing  eye  of  Erin,  whose 
wrath  "a  word  can  kindle  and  a  word  assuage."  It  is 
rather  the  calm  eye  of  the  frontiersman,  long  used  to 
danger  for  which  it  was  ever  watchful,  but  from  which  it 
never  shrank. 

The  entire  expression  is  one  of  repose;  but  there  is 
something  which  suggests: 

"That  underneath  that  face  like  summer  ocean's, 

Its  lip  as  moveless  and  its  cheek  as  clear, 
Slumbers  a  whirlwind  of  the  heart's  emotions, 

Love,  hatred— pride,  hope,  sorrow — all  save  fear." 


15 

Governor  Martin,  like  all  strong  men,  had  his  enemies; 
but  he  brushed  them  aside  with  too  much  indifference  to 
leave  any  record  of  his  defense.  He  has  since  had 
detractors  even  among  self-styled  historians;  but  no  de- 
fense or  vindication  is  necessary  of  one  for  whom  the  pa- 
triots of  the  Revolution  thought  no  honor  too  high,  and 
in  whom  George  Washington  could  find  a  kindred  spirit- 

From  this  cup,  sanctified  by  the  lips  of  the  Father  of 
his  Country  in  the  pledge  of  friendship  to  my  honored 
kinsman,  and  now  filled  with  pure  water  from  the  spring 
that  quenched  the  dying  thirst  of  the  heroes  who  fell 
upon  this  field,  I  drink  in  the  deepest  reverence,  to  the 
memory  of  the  Deathless  Dead. 


Microfilmed 


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